Part 17 – Winners or Losers?
"Milady, allow me to compliment your appearance tonight? If you weren't already married I would surely beg the permission to court you..."
Irina couldn't help but blush slightly, when the man in front of her took her hand and placed a kiss on it – probably a little longer than what would have been appropriate. His statement alone was scandalous and he surely knew that such a revelation was an absolute taboo to be made to a married woman.
But considering the fact that her marriage was fake and in less than two months she would be a single woman again, she decided that it was not so bad.
"Thank you Milord," she replied and smiled warmly. "And such a charming man would surely have my permission."
Arvin Sloane smiled and when he looked up into her warm chocolate-brown eyes, he had to admit to himself silently, that her beauty was even more outstanding than he had heard. He didn't doubt that a woman like her could seduce every man. No wonder that Jack Bristow had fallen for her.
"But I have heard that you are happily married, so I guess there is no chance for me to get the possibility to court you any time soon..."
"Well..." Irina started, wanting to tell him that her husband would surely despise if he did, when she caught glimpse of Jack flirting with the brunette woman from earlier. They were leisurely strolling towards one of the rooms. Rage started to build up inside her – rage that finally unloaded itself in defiance. "...my husband and I are not that close. So I am still interested in acquaintances..."
She knew that her behavior was scandalous, but trusted on the gentleman's discretion.
"You are surely a surprise for a man, Milady," he replied, his eyes gleaming.
"Lord Sloane, I am sure there are many ladies at court who give their attention to other persons than her husband."
"There are..." he replied, "but there's surely none of them as beautiful as you are. Would you like to accompany me to a .. um... less occupied place?"
"I would love to do so," Irina replied courageously, determined to pay Jack a lesson. Besides, she was getting really frustrated and after days of being so close to an attractive man who woke the wildest fantasies inside her, she needed a little distraction. Surely this lord was not one of the most attractive men – but still, she could close her eyes and imagine it was Jack. That had two advantages: First of all, she would be a little less aggressive and secondly she could enrage Jack and show him that he had no power over her.
Well, he actually had power over her, but there was no need for him to know that.
Irina turned and went towards the door which led out into the corridor and to their private chambers. Sloane looked around, then turned to follow her. No matter what the plan was – every reasonable man would be a fool to say no if a beautiful woman like Irina Derevko offered herself to him.
They were just leaving the room when Jack came out through the curtains into the hall, watching them leave in disbelief. With a dangerous gleam in his eyes, he started to follow them. He was raging with fury. Irina had gone a step too far...
Neither Lord Sloane nor Irina noticed that they were being followed by Jack. Leisurely, they strolled through the corridor and up the stairs, while Arvin admired the beautiful and expensive paintings on the wall. Irina went next to him, her courage finally fading a little. This man was so totally different from Jack, and she was no longer sure that her imagination would be enough to fool her body.
"We can go in here," she finally said. "It's my personal restroom, and nobody will disturb us."
She entered the room and lit a candle at the wall. Although there was no fire in the fireplace, the remains of the glow heated the room a little.
When she was finished lighting the candles, Irina turned around a little nervous.
"Well..." she started, and Arvin smiled at her.
"You are the most astounding woman I have ever met," he murmured and walked around her. Irina suddenly had the feeling of being the prey, who didn't know yet that she was hunted. A feeling she didn't like at all.
She started slightly when she suddenly felt his hands on her naked shoulders. Abruptly she turned and brought a little distance between them.
"I... um... do you want to drink something?"
"I did not come here to drink... and neither did you I think," he uttered seductively, urging her against the wall.
"Sorry," she murmured. "I am just a little nervous... usually I don't do things like this..."
"You'll see, you are going to like it." Then his lips fell onto her neck and the soft skin of her shoulders. Irina sighed and closed her eyes, trying to concentrate on the touches which once used to arouse her. Her mind was distracted – all she could think of was Jack in the arms of that brunette woman. Maybe he was kissing her right now...
And even if so – who cares, she tried to convince herself. You can have fun... you had fun before you met him.
Determined to enjoy the adventure she was going to have, she buried her hands in Arvin's hair and laid her head back. His hands ran up her body and finally laid over her breast while his teeth bit her earlobe. A deep moan escaped his throat.
Irina opened her eyes. This was weird... she wanted to think about Jack – to fantasize about him, but this man was so different. His touches were the opposite of tender. All his actions aimed on getting satisfied as soon as possible and could almost be called ruthless. She tried to enjoy the erotic caresses, but failed to do so.
When Arvin finally wanted to claim her mouth, Irina turned her head aside and brought a little distance between them with her hands.
"Wait," she managed to murmur. Her body was tensed and the uneasiness she felt, slowly started to turn into awkwardness. She wanted to run away – which was inappropriate. She had to interrupt this at least elegantly. "Maybe we didn't think the whole thing through."
"Thinking? I do not think about things like this," Arvin murmured throatily and wanted to push back into her, but Irina evaded his touch.
"I mean, we probably shouldn't..."
"Is it about your husband? That's not a problem. He will not learn anything about the things we will do in here – or in the future elsewhere." His thumb stroked her lip. "Believe me, my beautiful, I can bring you the sweetest pleasures..."
"I'm sorry..." she murmured and wanted to add something, when a cold voice from the door could be heard.
"I guess I am not supposed to interrupt here, am I?"
Arvin spun around, and Irina looked in shock at the appearance of her husband in the dim light of the candle. Arvin cleared his throat.
"Jack, I was... it's not what it looks like..."
"Get out of here," Jack said menacingly and watched Arvin leave hurriedly. Then he turned his attention back on Irina, missing that Arvin stopped in the doorframe and looked back – a hint of triumph on his face.
Irina felt the urge to just flee out of the window, but she knew that Jack would have caught her before she had even reached it.
You tempted him too far, the voice inside her screamed in panic, and she pressed against the wall behind her as Jack came closer with every step.
"I think I remember that we had a conversation earlier," he started, "and I also remember talking to you about behaving appropriately." His voice was totally calm – a fact that scared Irina even more. For the first time, she did not feel the need to contradict him – or enrage him.
"Jack, I'm sorry," she started and for the first time she meant it. What had she been thinking to do something that stupid?
"Yes, sure you are," he nodded. "I'm just curious – what if I had come some minutes later? What would I have seen then?"
"Jack, I swear..."
"Irina, I know we are only fake-married... at least so far. But I can not tell you how much it bothers me that you aim on ruining my reputation." He had reached her now. Irina started to escape his grip, but he held her harshly and slammed her back against the wall.
"I was going to end it... I swear to you, I didn't want to go through with it," she vowed and laid her hands to his chest, mainly to calm him down, but also to be prepared to defend herself.
Yes, he had indeed noticed the change in her behavior. He had stood in the dark doorframe almost since the beginning. But he wondered why she had so suddenly changed her mind – obviously she had some kind of conscience, which had told her she was going too far.
Still, he was infuriated that she had been kissed by that man – his so-called friend. He looked at the skin of her neck and shoulders and touched her with his hand. Only the thought of Arvin touching Irina made him want to go after him and kill him.
But for now he would clarify the situation with Irina. He took her hands away from his chest and pinned them against the wall.
"Don't try to manipulate me again, that won't work anymore. I warned you not to break the rules tonight, didn't I?" He said. "What do you think a husband should do if he finds his wife committing adultery?"
He could see that uncertainty and a hint of panic rose in her. For a moment, all her walls were down and all she could do was to stare at him. Jack's eyes reflected raging fury, and she wasn't sure what he would do next. Desperately, she tried to wriggle her wrists out of his grip, which caused him to tighten his hold on her almost painfully.
"Why did you do it?" he asked and suddenly disappointment and something she couldn't quite define took place of his anger.
"I... I wanted to..." she started, but cut herself off. She wanted to apologize, but how could she possibly form the words so he would believe her?
All of a sudden, he let go of her and turned around. "From now on you will not be allowed to leave your room. You will remain in your chambers – the servants and your maid will take care of the necessary things you need, but they will not be allowed to talk to you. Take it as a solitary confinement. As soon as your sister returns, you will be free to go wherever you want to, as long as you stay away from me or my property."
His words were not worse than a hit in the face would have been. Silent shock and terror paralyzed her mind. He couldn't actually mean to lock her up without any access to the world for the next three months – and forbid her to ever see him again. She didn't understand why all of a sudden this seemed to be the worst punishment, and was sure that his words were only an empty threat – they had to be! When Jack went to the door, pulling out the key from inside, Irina ran to hold him back.
"Jack, please... don't do that!" She didn't even pretend anymore that she was under control. She felt really scared. She had been able to stand some days of prison because of her stubbornness – and because it had been some kind of a challenge between her and Jack. But now he was really angry with her, and his attitude made it clear that he would show no mercy. When he didn't even react to her plea, she started to beat his back in desperation.
"You can't just lock me in here for the next three months. What I did was not worse than what you did with your whore in the city! Do you know how embarrassing it is for a woman to be the topic of gossip for all the servants?"
"I warned you not to cross a certain line," Jack simply stated and turned around again, grabbing her wrists to stop her from beating him. Irina failed to stop her body from trembling.
"My sister will never forgive you if you hurt me. She's going to kill you. It's a breech of agreements," she warned, when she noticed the threatening expression on his face.
He didn't miss that she attempted desperately to sound self-secure and strong.
"Irina, wouldn't you call fooling around with my best friend a breech of agreements as well?" Jack countered calmly.
Irina opened her mouth to justify her action and reproach Jack for his little flirts with the other women, but he didn't even give her a chance to do so. "Your sister and I have an agreement, and I never demanded anything else of you than that you play your part. But you are obviously unable to stick to the easiest rules or promises."
Irina scoffed and folded her arms. "I see. But that whore you paid two nights ago to sleep with you is totally within the rules? Of course, because every loving husband has a whore in the city!"
"Irina, I did not sleep with that woman the other night!" Jack snapped back at her, tired of listening to her accusations, and when he advanced a few inches towards her, Irina almost stumbled over the folds of her dress when stepping back. His revelation totally put her off.
"You did not..."
"No," he repeated impatiently. "Although considering what happened here tonight, I probably should have."
For a moment, Irina was so confused that she didn't react fast enough when Jack pulled her abruptly against him, his lips merging with hers. Nothing about this kiss was tender – it was a rough way of making clear that she belonged to him.
Irina was shocked by his almost brutal exploration and tried to push him away half-heartedly. Only when her resistance subsided, did his kiss become more sensual and seductive. Finally, she managed to free herself from him and brought a few meters distance and a desk between them.
"How dare you?" she snapped breathlessly. Jack raised his eyebrows, while he stepped towards her.
"I am your husband…"
"No, you are not," Irina countered and held on to the table. His kiss had aroused her and her head was spinning.
Jack walked slowly around the table, until he was standing behind her.
"What are you doing?" Irina's voice was trembling when she felt Jack opening her dress.
"Claiming what's mine," he replied, and she closed her eyes when his lips started to caress her neck, immediately finding the sensitive spot that made her moan. Then suddenly, she freed herself again and folded her arms.
"Although we may be married in the eyes of the law, you have no right to claim anything," she said sharply, and Jack smiled inwardly.
"Irina, you keep saying that our marriage is illegitimate, but thinking about it, I don't see why. The ceremony has been held by a priest, and the marriage was consummated – more than once! So after every law, this marriage is valid."
When Jack advanced towards her, Irina didn't move but stared at him dangerously. "You're the most rude and unmannered man I've ever met. You treat me like a prisoner. You visit your mistress, flirt with numerous young women down there, and then you expect me to fall thankfully into your arms?" She snorted and turned her back to him – a sign that she didn't want to talk to him anymore. "I really don't wonder about you still being a bachelor when that is the usual way you treat women."
Jack smiled and continued to open her dress. "First of all, I treated you like a prisoner for some good reasons. Secondly, I did not sleep with my mistress. If my wife refuses to fulfill her duties though, she must not wonder if I go elsewhere. And thirdly, I didn't flirt more than you did – actually you were the one who went too far." He watched her dress slide down to the ground, then looked at her underwear. His hands ran over her naked arms and shoulders. "The thought of him touching you - doing the things to you that I did – makes me so angry." Jack murmured and then turned her around harshly to force her to look at him.
She pushed him away. "Do you think the thought of you being with those women you were so intimate with tonight is different? Did you think I wouldn't notice? Who was she? Another one of your escapades?" She tried to pushed at him in fury, but Jack managed to catch her wrist.
"If you are talking about that blonde girl, Lady Therese, she is a distant cousin of mine whose husband died two moths ago. I took care of the formalities to secure the property for her! Although I noticed that she was trying to involve me in flirtations, I was never seriously interested." Jack explained and then pulled her into another, more tender kiss.
"Let me go." Irina demanded weakly and wanted to collect her dress from the ground. Before she even knew what was happening, Jack suddenly lifted her up and carried her through the smaller door into her bedroom, where he dropped her on her bed.
When they were both lying on the soft mattress, he started to explore her skin, his body half-covering hers.
"Jack… stop it." Irina closed her eyes weakly, determined to make clear that she was not that easy. She had never been easy – until now. Jack had changed her in a way she didn't understand. She was just unable to resist his touch.
When he marked her skin, she sighed. His lips ran over her cleavage, along the lines of her under dress. Her hands were busy opening the buttons of his shirt and pushing the material down to reveal his skin. Then suddenly she pushed at him, trying to get away. "We can't do this. There are guests waiting."
He looked up and played with a strand of her hair. "They will not miss us for the next few hours. And if they do, they will think that we retired to be alone..."
His tongue teased her, playing at the corner of her mouth, until her lips parted in a silent invitation. Immediately he claimed her mouth with his, swallowing her deep moan. Her hand ran through his hair while she pushed the material of his clothes away from his shoulders, then pushed him away with all her force and rolled to her side to leave the bed.
Before she could do so, Jack had grabbed her and pinned her to the bed.
"What are you doing?" His voice was a mixture of desire and anger.
"You are not going to win this game, Bristow. I know what you are planning. You think you can just frustrate me and I will fall happily into your arms. But you are wrong! I am not that easy!"
Jack chuckled. "No, you're definitely the contrary of easy."
"Let go of me!"
"I won't. You wanted to cheat on me… you were willing to make love with my best friend." He murmured close to her lips. "I really want to just lock you in that cell again."
"Why don't you?" Irina snapped back.
"Because we are married and that allows me to do way more pleasurable things to you." His lips brushed the corner of her mouth, his tongue flicking out and teasing her. "Or would you rather I take you back into that other room and make love to you against the wall – like you were about to do with him?"
From his tone, Irina could hear that he wasn't angry anymore, but in a playful mood now. She turned her head slightly and bit his lower lip challengingly. He groaned and claimed her lips in an almost bruising kiss. Determined to make her fall, he took her challenge.
He let go of her hands, careful at first to be prepared if she started an attack again. But instead she wrapped her arms around his body, pulling him closer against her.
Their lips dueled a battle for control and silenced moans filled the room. Neither of them was willing to give in, and finally Irina broke the kiss and trailed her lips along his cheek to his ear, where she started to suck at his earlobe until she was contented by his aroused moan against her neck.
Before he knew what was happening, she had flipped them over and straddled his hips. Slowly her hands ran over his well-muscled chest while she held his intense gaze. A seductive gleam in her eyes, she bent forward, her chestnut locks falling down and stroking his skin. She touched his lips in a short kiss, immediately evading when he tried to deepen it.
"Feeling a little in the mood for torture tonight?" Jack murmured throatily, while his hands ran up the silky skin of her legs. Irina chuckled against his lips while she nibbled at his lower lip.
"Maybe..." she replied, a promising tone in her voice. "You seem to wake demons inside me..."
"Good..." he replied and his hands ran up her back and then pulled her abruptly down into a deep open-mouth kiss. She didn't allow him to entice her and soon moved her lips down his chin and covered his throat with hot caresses. He laid his head back and moaned. Irina smiled against his skin when she moved her lips further down. Then finally she sat back up and ran her hands over his thorax. Fascinated, she explored every inch of his skin with her fingers, moving them over his nipples, playing with the hair on his chest and then trailing them down his arms.
When she reached his wrists, she smiled at him and pinned them to the bed.
"Well, now you are my prisoner for a change..." she whispered and he freed himself without effort. She grabbed his hands again. "And I happen to treat my prisoners very well – not one of them ever left unsatisfied..."
"How many were there?" he asked with a smile, and she bent down.
"For a prisoner, you are still a little too imprudent." She let go of his hands and moved her hips a little down his body to be able to open his pants. "So if you intend on getting satisfied anytime soon, you should work on your tone."
"As you wish, Milady." Jack replied, joining in her game, while his hands played at the back of her knees. She sighed and finally managed to pull down his pants. He helped her and some moments later the cloth landed on the ground next to the bed.
Irina sat back up and smiled at him. "So... my prisoner, what do you want me to do..."
Jack's hands played at her legs again, then suddenly his eyes started to gleam.
"Undress for me..."
"What?" Irina asked, staring at him. "That's all?"
"For now," he nodded and Irina smiled.
"Then your wish is my command." She wanted to climb off him to pull of her underwear, but Jack held her back.
"No, slowly! And stay exactly there." He demanded. Irina pulled his hands away from her hips and pressed them next to his head to the mattress. Her lips were only a hair-breadth away from his when she whispered "Fine, but only under one condition! You keep your hands to yourself, Lord Bristow. No touching until I allow you to."
Without waiting for his approval, she sat up again and carefully removed the pins from her hair. Her full, wavy stands fell down and framed her face. When she had all needles removed from her hair, she dropped them to the ground, and the sound they made when they made contact with the wooden floor broke the silence of the room. Irina laid her head back and moved her hand through her hair to loosen it. When it was lying wild and untamed around her face, she looked down at Jack, her eyes glowing with desire.
He was unable to do anything but stare at her appearance. Never ever had he seen a woman who was more beautiful than she was.
Irina moved her fingers in a butterfly touch over his stomach, then she lifted her hands and started to slowly open the thin ribbon that closed the underwear in the front. Taking her time, she carefully removed the ribbon from it's eyelets, revealing her silky skin slowly when the fabric opened. One of the straps slid down her shoulder and hung loosely on her arm. Jack felt the need to sit up right away to claim that soft skin that presented itself to him so openly. It took all of his control to hold back. No doubt, she knew exactly how to drive a man crazy.
Ever so slowly, she removed the other strap from her shoulder, moving it down her arm as if it was the softest touch she had ever felt.
Sitting there, her dress so daringly open, and the straps hanging carelessly down, she reminded him of a gypsy. Her tousled hair and the seductive look supported this fantasy in his head.
A perfect description for her, he thought silently. Irina definitely had the rebelling mind and the exotic beauty of a gypsy – not to mention the ability to fight for herself and her freedom.
There is only one way to make a gypsy stay in one place – to make her heart stay, he thought to himself.
Irina's hands moved over Jack's belly and his abdomen, making him tremble. She noticed it with satisfaction and lifted her dress then, to pull it over her head. Without caring she discarded it to the floor, sitting completely naked on top of him. Jack let out a soft moan, and his hand moved over her hips and up her body to cover her breasts.
"Stick to the rule," Irina said, putting a scandalized tone into her voice and laid her hands to his wrists. His touch on her skin felt as if he was burning her – too pleasurable to pull his hands away.
His thumbs started to tease her nipples until they hardened under his touch. Contented, he noticed that Irina's breath grew shallower. He continued caressing her, forming out her body with his hands and discovering her ticklish spots. Soon he had found all her sensitive points and paid special attention to them until her eyes were clouded with uncontrolled passion and her skin flushed.
When his hand moved between their bodies and explored her core, she gave a loud moan. His fingers started to tease her softly at first, until she urged him on impatiently. His thumb flicked her clit, causing another moan to escape her lips.
"Oh god, Jack..." Irina leaned softly forward onto his chest when he entered her with one finger, finding her ready for him. His free hand supported her, while he tenderly started to massage a spot deep inside her. She started to move on his hand and the world seemed to start spinning in front of her eyes. Suddenly, she tore at his underpants. "These have to go – now!" she murmured, her voice thick with need.
Jack smiled and all of a sudden flipped them over, remaining in between her legs. "Not just yet, darling..."
Irina had no time to contradict this intimate address, when Jack's lips moved slowly over her slightly parted mouth. He took his time and took possession of her lips, then explored her neck and shoulders, before he turned his full attention on her breast.
"I would say this is a change in power...," he teased her slowly and pinned her arms to the mattress, "...my beautiful prisoner." He lowered his lips to her ear. "What do you think I should do to you as revenge for your torture?"
She smiled against his cheek, biting his skin softly. "You could just make love to me – fast and hard – and now!"
Jack chuckled and caressed her earlobe with his tongue before he gave her an answer. "You know what? I will do that... just as I have told you in the garden..."
He trailed his lips down her belly, rediscovering with his mouth all the spots he had just visited with his hands. His hands held her hips when he trailed a hot path down her abdomen with his tongue. He moved his lips over her leg and inner thigh, then between her legs, finally touching her core with his lips. Softly, his tongue flicked out, teasing her in a butterfly touch and causing her to gasp in surprise and arch against him, before he pulled back, giving her time to get used to his touch.
The next stroke of his tongue was deeper, more insistent, and a loud moan escaped her throat. She spread her legs farther to allow him better access. The heat that struck her at his third touch seemed to burn her alive, floating through her whole body and turning her blood into streams of lava. She closed her eyes to stop the white stars from clouding her vision.
Jack moaned against her center at the sight of her ecstasy. His touches became more relentless, his hands holding her in place. Looking at her was almost enough to make him lose control right then. Yet, this time he wanted to push her until she would shatter in his arms and belong to him completely.
He parted her folds with his tongue and felt a shiver run though her whole body.
Almost desperate, she cried out his name in a hidden plea to stop torturing her.
She laid her head back and bit her lips. Her left hand buried in his hair, her other one clenched to a fist.
When he entered her with his tongue, she bent her body and violent shivers shook her. Jack moved away from her center, kissing her belly button softly, and waited until she had calmed down a little.
"Jack..." Irina whimpered. "Don't stop now..."
At her husky voice, he had almost lost himself and just fulfilled her wish. Yet, he wanted to hold the moment a little longer. His kisses were almost innocent now, yet Irina reacted to him with every single one of her oversensitive nerves. Every touch of his lips felt as if he was igniting a fire just at that spot.
He brought them face to face to look into her eyes. Her skin was flushed and damp and he stroked one of the strands of hair away from her face. His lips hovered only an inch above hers.
Irina's hands framed his face and she gasped in surprise when she felt his erection at her thigh. When had he managed to pull his pants off? She didn't care actually. Trying to break his control, she moved her body erotically against his. Jack moaned and stilled her hips with his.
"Stop fighting me..." he demanded against her lips, and Irina gave a short laugh, her hands grabbing his shoulders.
"Never..." she replied playfully, her tongue flicking out and teasing the corner of his mouth. At the next second she moaned, clasping his shoulders tighter when he entered her in a deep thrust. He stilled for a moment, just kissing her chin and throat, until he felt her moving against him, trying to seduce him into her rhythm.
He gave in, starting to move slowly inside her, holding her eyes in an intense gaze. His hands touched her cheek, ran through her hair and over her shoulders as if he needed to feel that she was real. And for a single instant, he realized that she possessed his heart – that he didn't know how he would ever be able to live without her when the three months had passed.
Her moans increased, and she closed her eyes when his lips started to shower her cheek with short kisses. He increased the pace of his movements. Her moans turned into whimpers and she dug her fingers into his back, increasing his passion in just the right mixture of pleasure and pain. He marked her neck with his teeth, immediately soothing it with his tongue.
Irina pulled her knees closer to her body, taking him deeper and bringing him into a position that allowed him to stroke the spot inside her that brought her even more pleasure.
"Oh... Irina..." Jack groaned into her hair, feeling his release building up.
"Come for me..." she whispered into his hair, and her throaty words were enough to break his control. Unable to hold back any longer, he thrust into her faster and eventually came, groaning her name. When Irina felt the shudders running through his body, her own climax hit her like a thunderstorm, and for a few seconds, her mind faded into black.
Breathing heavily, neither of them was able to move. Irina's hand was still buried in Jack's hair, their eyes closed. When she felt him lift his head, her eyes fluttered open and she smiled at him weakly. Unable to say a single word, he looked at her flushed skin. She saw a single drop of sweat running down his cheek and wiped it away from his damp skin with her thumb.
He touched her lips with still trembling hands and then melded them with his in a deep and ever so tender kiss. Unable to break free from each other, they sank into a series of sweet kisses. Finally, Jack moved a little so he was lying next to Irina. His hand was lying loosely on her chest, and he could still feel her heart beating rapidly.
"You are unbelievable..." she finally whispered when she was able to speak again. "I never felt so..." she started, then cut herself off. Jack drew slow, tender circles on her back and smiled into her hair.
"The same is for me..." he simply said and looked at the wall for a short time. "Let's make a deal. When you feel the need to do something like this again – come to me next time instead of another random man."
"I will," she promised. "I will definitely." For a short time neither of them said a word, then suddenly Irina looked up. "Under one condition: You do not leave for another girl again."
He held her eyes for an endless moment, then kissed her passionately. "I won't," he promised.
Irina smiled and closed her eyes sated. She fell into a light slumber, her face buried at Jack's neck. When Jack felt her sleeping, he stroked softly through her hair and loosened from her body. Irina immediately opened her eyes and sat up in confusion.
"Don't go... where are you going?"
He laughed and collected his clothes from the ground. "Honey, there are guests waiting downstairs." Quickly, he started to get dressed.
"For heaven's sake..." Irina, who had totally forgotten about the party that was going on downstairs, reached for her nightrobe and got up. She wrapped herself in the silk material and looked at Jack. "I need my maid to do my hair and..." Nervously, she ran her hand through her totally tousled strands. Jack went to her and took her hands, kissing them softly.
"You stay here..." he whispered and kissed her on the lips then. "I will tell the guests that you retired because of a headache. There is nothing unusual about that. Get some rest..."
"Well..." she smiled at him. "Thank you." She ran his hands through his hair, bringing them back into order. Then she laid her finger to his lips in a tender gesture and smiled. Jack placed a soft kiss on her finger. "Good night." He said softly and then turned.
Irina followed him slowly and on the way, collected her clothes from the ground. Carefully, she lifted her expensive dress from the carpet and laid it over her armchair. She was smoothing it with her hands when suddenly she noted something that made her frown.
Jack pulled the key to her door out of his pocket and inserted it from the outside into the lock. Immediately, Irina stood upright.
"Jack, what are you doing?"
He closed the door, and Irina heard the key being turned. She hurried to the door, trying the handle and finding it locked. Furiously, she beat against the wooden door.
"Jack Bristow, open this door at once. Are you crazy?"
"Irina, despite everything that happened, don't think that I trust you an inch, or that you could manipulate me with your body. Now enjoy your rest. We'll discuss it in the morning!"
Her answer was a series of infuriated cries and beats, before she sank to the ground in front of the door, staring into the fire.
"I hate you, Bristow, I hope you are aware of that! Damned bastard!" she swore.
"Sweet dreams to you too..." was his answer through he wood, then she heard him go away. Irina let her head sink back against the door and closed her eyes. What was happening to her? She knew she hated Jack -–yet, in moments like the ones they had just shared, she gave everything to him and lost herself completely. Even more, she forgot that he was her enemy and their marriage was only fake.
Slowly, Irina got up and went to her armchair. Grabbing a blanket from the table, she snuggled up in the soft cushions of the chair and looked into the fire for a long time.
Well, I guess, she thought, it is my fault that he doesn't trust me and maybe it is better this way. She closed her eyes and gave in to the comfortable warmth and her need of sleep.